Breakthrough #2: From Isolation to Collaboration - The Deadly Error
- Harry T. Jones
- May 14
- 3 min read
Updated: May 15
The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead as the surgeon delivered the news. The family’s faces drained of color, their coffee cups growing cold in trembling hands.
He was a tractor dealership owner, a husband, and a father and he DIED ON THE OPERATING TABLE during what should have been a routine follow-up surgery.
I wish I could tell you this was just a dramatic opening to capture your attention. Unfortunately, it’s a true story that unfolded in real time over the past two weeks.
Isolation: A Death Sentence for Your Legacy
Rewind to two weeks ago…
Our prayer group received a request for an entrepreneur going into surgery.
The family was concerned but felt prepared—a diligent search revealed that the owner’s daughter, uninvolved in the company, had power of attorney and could sign the necessary checks on Friday for payroll.
Then came the bombshell.
Thursday brought the unthinkable. The owner’s heart monitor flatlined during surgery.
As the family huddled together in the sterile waiting room, tears streaming down their faces, they couldn’t find the will. When they finally located it, buried beneath stacks of dusty paperwork...
WAIT FOR IT...
The uninvolved daughter, in Kentucky, was named trustee. The daughter—who hadn’t set foot in the business for 20 YEARS—was the new owner.
But Monday revealed another SHOCKING TRUTH: the uninvolved daughter wasn’t the only owner. The deceased owner had SECRETLY given 8 key employees the same amount of stock!
As the family reeled from their personal loss, the business implications quickly became apparent.
In a day, the company went from one owner to nine.
The High Cost of Entrepreneurial Isolation
As we began to untangle the confusion, the true cost of the owner’s isolation became painfully clear:
ZERO communication between accounting and operations
NO PROCEDURES documented ANYWHERE, just empty binders collecting dust
Sales reps, with mortgage payments due and children to feed, hadn’t been paid commissions for MONTHS
The owner had taken out a line of credit on his home, but NO ONE COULD TRACE WHERE THE MONEY WENT
The Silent Business Killer: Isolation
Largely because of leadership isolation, 70% of businesses fail to make it to their second generation of leadership.
Seven out of ten family legacies—GONE.
Seven out of ten community cornerstones—VANISHED.
Seven out of ten lifetime achievements—ERASED.
One day, something will demand the departure from your business. Knowing this reality and not planning for it is foolish.
The Breakthrough Solution: From Isolation to Collaboration
The family in our story is now in CRISIS MODE, the smell of stale coffee and fear hanging in the air as they try to save what’s left of the business. But this emergency collaboration comes at an ENORMOUS cost.
The business is hemorrhaging money.
Key employees are considering leaving.
And the family is grieving while trying to salvage a business they barely understand.
It didn’t have to be this way.
How This Story Found Its Way to Me
Interestingly, this family came into my orbit through collaboration itself.
An investment advisor—who happens to be in one of our Breakthrough Mastermind groups—had been sharing my weekly emails with his clients. When this crisis hit, the family remembered those emails and reached out to me for help.
The power of collaboration is exponential.
Even indirect connections can become lifelines in moments of crisis.
The Breakthrough Mastermind Difference
In our Breakthrough Mastermind groups, business owners commit to meeting electronically on a set day each month.
They show up (unless they’re in the hospital!). They engage deeply with other group member entrepreneurs to help each other achieve breakthroughs beyond what they expect to receive themselves.
These group members press each other to consider:
What legacy do you want most?
Are you willing to sacrifice your ego to secure it through collaboration?
Why should your community care if your business survives you?
The Elite 30% Club: From Isolation to Breakthrough
Remember that statistic? 70% of businesses fail to transition to the next generation.
That means there’s an elite 30% club of businesses that successfully create lasting legacies.
Want to know their secret?
They all—every single one I’ve studied—share one common trait: They moved from isolation to collaboration.
Generational impact doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens through collaboration.
One of the greatest legacies you can leave behind is a business that continually makes a profit and blesses its community for generations.
Ready to move from isolation to collaboration and secure your legacy? Email Sunshine@cultivatingimpact.biz with “Breakthrough” in the subject line to join our next Breakthrough Mastermind group.
Your legacy is too important to face alone.
Harry T. Jones
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